Do you need Power Backup for Your Home during load shedding?
View our packages and pricing below.
The package options below are labelled with alphabetic letters to indicate that more information is available at the bottom of the page
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Item | Solar Ready (5kw) R58,500 (excl. installation) | Solar (5kw) R88,500 (excl. installation) | Solar (8kw) R168,000 (excl. installation) | Solar (12kw 3Phase) R284,000 (excl. installation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Inverter |  | | | |
Description | Upgrade to solar later | Includes solar panels (6 x 455W Panels) | Includes solar panels (12 x 455W Panels) | Includes solar panels (18 x 455W Panels) |
Power | ||||
Battery run times | ||||
Battery type - Lithium iron are more reliable than lead acid |  | | | |
Batteries can be added to increase run times? | ||||
Typical installation cost (j) | From R8000 | From R14,500 | From R16,500.00 | From R20,000.00 |
Typical accessories cost (k) | From R8,000 | From R13,000 | From R15,500 | From R21,000 |
Total cost | R74,500 | R116,000 | R200,000 | R325,000 |
Can power: | Can power: | Can power: | Can power: | Can power: |
No of Double Door Fridges (500W start-up / 20-200W run) | ||||
No of LED indoor lights that can be powered (5-20W) | 50 | 50 | 100 | 200 |
Garage door motor (50-500W) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Wi-Fi Router (5-20W) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Computer/Laptop (50-100W) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
TV (50-400W) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
TV Sound system (50-800W) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Toaster (1400-2300W) | ||||
Kettle (2000-3000W) | ||||
Stove (2000-5000W) | ||||
No of Geysers (2000-5000W) | 0 | 0 | 1 (d) | 1 (d) |
Automatic failover to backup power | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Safe for electronic equipment - Pure Sine Wave | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Smart monitoring |  | | | |
Mobile Phone App |
The alphabetical letters below describe the details in the package table above
(a) This all depends on type, capacity and age of Battery. Loads also have an impact on battery backup times. For example; a 200-400W deep freezer can deplete batteries faster. All systems should be spec'd according to load requirements and client expectations.
(b) It is not recommended to run fridge/freezers on smaller UPS units (1-2kVa)with other loads. Run times (depending on battery bank size), can deplete backup times.
(c) Any appliance with a heating element is discouraged on a UPS and most smaller Inverter/Solar systems, due to high load and influx of current on the back-up system installed.
(d) As per point (c) heating elements are discouraged. SMT Energy encourages the use of Gas (of which is far more economical than electrical), for water heating, kettle, stoves, geysers and the likes.
(e) Warrantees on system differ depending on type and brand. Typically AGM/Lead acid batteries hold a 1 year warrantee. UPS/Inverters/solar Inverter units between 1-2 years. Lithium Iron 1-2 years.
(f) Life span and batteries can vary. Typically 2-4 years for AGM/Lead acid batteries, and 4-10 years on Lithium Iron Batteries. Environmental conditions, loads and cycling of batteries all plays a part to battery life spans.
(g) Upgradable/Expandable.
(h) Cannot mix old and new batteries for expansion/longer backup periods on batteries older than 1year.
(i) Single and Three phase options available.
(j) Installation costs vary depending on a the following factors: Travel, Condition of electrical works, Electrical works required to separate loads, All and or any accessories (DB boards, switch gear, fuses, cables etc.).
(k) Depending on electrical loads required on back-up system.
(l) Inverter dependant. Smart Module may be required.
(m) Installation and or Battery bank size dependant
Delivery costs apply according to area.
Power backup for your home during load shedding
We sell power backup solutions for your home or small office to help you avoid the frustration experienced when Eskom implements load shedding. Load shedding in South Africa has become a reality and it’s imperative to keep your life functioning during these times. Having a power backup solution means that you can continue to work and play during these times when most South Africans feel frustrated.
We supply power backup systems that are portable or fully integrated into your DB board. Our range of backup power solutions can help you power your home or small office during those challenging load shedding hours and other unplanned power failures. Our systems are silent and environmentally friendly as they don’t need fuel.
This page describes our power backup solutions in a way that is easy to understand so you know exactly what power backup package will satisfy your power consumption requirements.
We have you covered whether you need backup power for your home or office. Our goal is to keep your lights on.
Silent backup power solutions compared to noisy generators
The table below compares the benefits of silent backup power solutions (inverters with batteries) to generators that require fuel. Both power backup options can work, but inverters with batteries offer a much better alternative due to their silent operation and minimal maintenance.
Inverters also offer a much nicer automatic switchover making power failures almost unnoticeable. On the other hand, generators often require manual start-up and need to be operated in well-ventilated areas, making the installation a lot trickier. The fumes from a generator can be deadly if they don’t escape, so you have to be careful when running petrol generators.
Inverter with batteries | Generator |
|---|---|
|  |
Very silent operation. | Noisy operation |
Easier installation. It can be installed in many different locations | Installation is more challenging as the generator needs to be in a well-ventilated area |
Environmentally friendly. No air pollution. | Generates fumes that harm the environment, which can also be deadly to humans if not well ventilated. |
You can charge batteries using solar panels or charge them from the Eskom power grid. | You need fuel to power the generator and need to keep backup fuel for the next power outage |
Pure Sine Wave means that the power is clean and safe for sensitive electric equipment. | Generators can cause power dips and spikes which can damage sensitive equipment. |
Power is automatically supplied to your home or office when power is lost. The benefit is that power outages have little or no impact on your lifestyle or productivity. | Generators typically require a manual start and a manual switch over on the electrical DB board. This means you have downtime as you switch over to the generator. |
Inverters require no maintenance, and batteries only require replacement after several years of usage. | Generators need to be serviced to ensure they continue to run safely. Oil replacements, air filters and spark plugs need to be replaced periodically. |
The inverter will automatically switch to charging mode and charge from the solar panels or Eskom power grid when power is restored. | It can be difficult to detect when power has been restored, resulting in unnecessary generator run times. You will also need to switch off the generator and switch back to Eskom power manually using the switch on the electrical DB board. |
Power inverter for home and small business
We sell power inverters for homes and small offices which can supply safe electricity (Pure Sine Wave) during power outages. Our power inverters can power lights, plugs and appliances, so load shedding is something you no longer notice. If you are working from home or a small business, our inverters can ensure you have power for computers and wifi to continue with your work uninterrupted. Free yourself from Eskom during load shedding.
All of our inverters for home use batteries and some units have the option of upgrading to solar panels at a later stage. This gives you the flexibility to initially start with a simple setup and upgrade to a complete design, making our system budget-friendly.
How does the inverter work?
When you have power from the electricity grid, the battery charger on the home inverter draws electricity from the main supply (Eskom) and keeps the batteries charged at safe operating levels.
When power from the grid fails (Eskom load shedding), the inverter automatically transfers energy from the battery bank and converts the DC power stored in the batteries to AC power used by your home. The equipment you want to back up is permanently connected to the system, so when the power fails, this equipment is supplied power seamlessly and will be unaffected by the loss of power from the Eskom grid. If the batteries run too low, the inverter has a safety cut-off that protects the batteries from damage.
The inverter will automatically begin charging the batteries when electricity from the power grid is restored. Your appliances remain connected to the system even when power is restored. The whole process is fully automatic.
The inverter can run home appliances, lights, computers, and wifi, but please see the package options to better understand what different inverter packages can power devices. This means our packages are perfect for homes or small businesses.
If you selected a solar package, the system would charge the batteries from the solar panels instead of the Eskom power grid, therefore saving you electricity.
The benefits of inverters for home power backup and small offices
There are several benefits for your home when using an inverter with batteries:
How long do the inverter batteries last when there is a power failure?
The batteries used are maintenance-free and can run between four to eight hours, depending on the electrical load. Battery life span is typically 2-4 years for AGM/Lead-acid batteries and 4-10 years for Lithium Iron batteries. Environmental conditions, battery loads and cycling of batteries all play an important role in battery longevity. Please see our battery run time calculations on this page, giving you a good idea of the expected battery run times.
How long does it take to charge the batteries when Eskom power is restored?
The recharge time of the batteries depends on how much power was drained from the batteries during a power failure. Therefore, to recharge a fully discharged 12V 100Ah battery using a 12V/10A charger will take about 10 hours.
What size backup power supply do I need and how long will it run for?
The size of your power backup system is determined by the connected battery bank and the load drawn from the system. Therefore, the backup time is directly proportional to the load drawn and the batteries’ size. If you remove some of your connected appliances, the backup time will be extended accordingly. Please see the calculation example below, which will give you a better idea of how long the power system can run.
The following formula is useful in determining the backup time:
Backup Time (in hours) = Battery Capacity (in Ah) X Input voltage (V) / Total Load (in Watts)
How do I calculate battery run time in hours?
Follow these formula steps to calculate battery run time:
- 1Watt-hours = Battery Capacity (in Ah) X Input voltage (V)
- 2Backup Time (in hours) = Watt-hours / Total Load (in Watts)
In other words, you calculate available capacity in watt-hours (Battery Capacity in Ah X Input voltage), then divide this by the total load in watts.
Example of calculating battery run time for a power backup system
In the example below, we have illustrated a power backup package that uses two batteries, with each battery contributing 100 Ah (Amp-hours) to the system. The system, therefore, has 200 Ah available.
Take note that the battery voltage is 12 V in this example.
Now that we know Ah (Amp-hours) and V (volts), we can calculate the available capacity in watt-hours. We then divide the calculated watt-hours by the total watts consumed to give us the run time in hours.
See the detailed table below for a practical example of this calculation broken down into steps.
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Item | Full run | Non-full run |
|---|---|---|
2 X 100Ah batteries (Ah = Amp-hours) | 200Ah | 200Ah |
Battery volts: | 12V | 12W |
Available Capacity (Wh = Watt-hours) | 2400Wh | 2400Wh |
25 X 5W LED lights | 125W | 125W |
1 X Fridge (500W start and 200W run) | 500W | 200W |
1 X 20W Wi-Fi router | 20W | 20W |
1 X 100W Computer | 100W | 100W |
1 X 500W Garage door | 500W | 0W |
1 X 100W TV | 100W | 100W |
Total Watts used | 1345W | 545W |
Run time in hours | 1.78 | 4.40 |
Capacity buffer (Avail Capacity - Total Watts used) | 1055 | 1855 |
Capacity buffer percentage (Capacity buffer / Total Watts used) (Should not be less than 20%) | 78.44% | 340.37% |
Please note the following information when interpreting the table above:
- 1Fridges have a short start upcycle of a few seconds (draw more watts) and draw fewer watts when running.
- 2A garage door draws up to 500W when used and 0 watts when not
- 3The Full Run Scenario is only applicable when the fridge is starting up, and the garage door is being used simultaneously. As you can see, this scenario only applies for a few seconds.
- 4The amount of backup time is determined by the size of the connected batteries in Ah (Amp-hours) and the load drawn from the system.
- 5The backup time is directly proportional to the load drawn.
- 6If you remove some of the connected appliances, the backup time will be extended accordingly.
- 7When sizing your power backup system, you should ensure that your watt-hour capacity is 20% higher than the total watts drawn (power used) by all your connected appliances running simultaneously. This is to ensure the safe and stable power output of the system.
Power backup for home and small business
We sell power backup solutions for your home and small business. We understand that life is busy and you need to keep moving forward during power outages.
What appliances and devices can I run on a backup power system?
You can safely connect the following appliances as long as the total power consumption does not exceed the supply of the backup batteries.
What appliances should I avoid connecting to the backup power system?
Its recommended that you avoid connecting the following appliances which can overload the backup power system due to their high loads.
What is the advantage of a power backup system?
The advantage of our products is that you don’t have to install a noisy generator. Generators need constant refilling and maintenance and are not ideal for residential areas or small businesses where noise and pollution from the exhaust are a problem.
The systems we offer consist of a sinewave inverter with a built-in battery charger, automatic changeover switch and a battery bank. This has the added advantage of automated and manual switch over.
What types of homes and small businesses are power backups systems suitable for?
Our products come with a guarantee and are safe, reliable and competitively priced.
How do you install the power backup system?
We have smaller power backup systems that can be installed as stand-alone/portable units, and we also have units that can be wired directly into your DB board. We recommend that batteries are installed in a battery cabinet with ventilation that can be locked to ensure batteries cannot be tampered with.
How much installation space is required for the power backup system?
We require approximately one square meter for the installation of the power cabinet. When installing solar panels, roof space will be required. The solar panel size can vary depending on the available roof space. One solar panel can range from 1m X 1m to 2m X 1m.
What maintenance is required for the power backup system?
These systems require minimal maintenance. The batteries are either semi-sealed lead-calcium batteries or fully-sealed Gel batteries depending on the chosen system. Batteries are maintenance-free and do not have to be filled.
What’s the difference between a UPS and a backup power system?
A UPS is generally a smaller device designed to minimise the impact of an unexpected outage by giving you a supply of energy for a short time so that equipment can be safely turned off. The function of a backup power system is to keep your devices running for as long as there is a power cut.
We refer to our systems as backup power systems.
How power outages can impact your home and business
Business impact | Home impact |
|---|---|
Internet connectivity can be lost. | Internet connectivity can be lost. |
Power for business appliances and devices is lost. | Power for home appliances and devices is lost. |
Staff can no longer work, and you lose productivity | Children can no longer do online school work or print documents. |
The office fridge will no longer work. Loss of perishable items | The refrigerator can no longer keep perishable items cold. |
Loss of productivity can lead to loss of income | If you work from home, this is impacted. |
Sensitive equipment can be damaged due to power surges | Sensitive home appliances can be damaged due to power surges |
Security can be compromised. Security gates, alarms and electric fences stop working. | Security can be compromised. Security gates, alarms and electric fences stop working. |
Garage doors and electric gates stop working | Garage doors and electric gates stop working |
You may need to close your business because you cannot serve customers without working on business equipment. | No TV means no time for relaxing or catching up on sports or movies. |
No lights for offices with poor lighting | No lights in the evenings which can also impact family study work and entertainment |
Unable to charge office equipment | Unable to charge phones, tablets, and laptops. |